Grid pavers are paving systems built as an open grid or lattice, rather than a solid surface, so they can be filled with grass or gravel and let water drain through. The grid carries the load while the open cells hold the fill and stay permeable. Grid pavers are the foundation of grass and gravel driveways, parking areas, and fire lanes, combining strength with drainage.

NDS EZ Roll grid paver honeycomb structure.

What are grid pavers?

A grid paver (or grid pavers) is exactly what the name suggests: a structural grid of cells. Instead of a solid slab, the paver is mostly open space, a honeycomb or lattice, that gets filled with soil and grass or with gravel. The walls of the grid carry and transfer the load, while the filled cells provide the visible surface and let water pass through. That open structure is what makes grid pavers permeable and drivable at the same time.

How the grid carries load

The reinforcing grid is installed over a compacted, free-draining base. It carries vehicle and foot loads and transfers that weight to the base, so the fill inside the cells — soil and grass, or gravel — is protected from compaction and rutting. Water infiltrates through the surface into the base and soil below, making the system both load-bearing and permeable.

Grid paver formats

• Flexible roll grids: EZ Roll pavers are a honeycomb mat on a roll, fast to install across large areas and able to follow gentle contours.
• Rigid interlocking grids: Tufftrack pavers are stiff 2 by 2 foot units, 1-1/2 inch thick, that lock together for higher-load areas.
• Gravel-filled grids: the same roll concept filled with gravel for a stabilized stone surface.

NDS Tufftrack rigid interlocking grid pavers.

Why choose grid pavers

• Strength plus permeability: the grid carries loads while the open cells drain.
• Stabilized fill: grass roots or gravel stay contained instead of rutting and migrating.
• Green or natural look: a grass or gravel surface instead of a slab.
• Stormwater friendly: infiltration reduces runoff.

Where grid pavers are used

Grid pavers are used for grass and gravel driveways (a grass driveway grid), overflow and event parking, fire lanes, golf cart paths, and access roads. The flexible roll suits large or contoured areas; the rigid grid suits the heaviest or most frequent loads.

Installation: base prep and steps

NDS EZ Roll Grass Pavers are designed to be placed on an engineer-specified compacted base. The base is what carries the vehicle load, so base preparation is the most important part of the job. A typical sequence:

1. Excavate. Remove unsuitable soil and excavate deep enough for the aggregate base plus the paver and soil. Longview's product guidance calls for a 4 to 6 inch aggregate base directly below the pavers; without that base a "cookie cutter" effect occurs as the pavers punch into soft ground.
2. Place the base course. Use a free-draining aggregate (NDS suggests AASHTO #57 stone or a local equivalent), placed over the prepared subgrade in lifts not exceeding 6 inches.
3. Compact each lift. Compact every lift separately to a minimum of 95 percent Modified Proctor density, so the base is firm and uniform before the pavers go down.
4. Optional sandy loam layer. An engineer may add about 2 inches of sandy loam between the paver and the gravel base; if so, place a non-woven geotextile filter fabric between the sandy loam and the base to keep fines from migrating into the stone.
5. Roll out and connect the pavers. Unroll the mat over the prepared base; the top-down locking tabs snap together with no tools, and each 2 by 2 foot section has 72 honeycomb cells.
6. Stake the pavers. Anchor with the supplied stakes (each roll ships with 40 stakes, 12 inch by 3/8 inch galvanized, NDS part GPSTAKE), following the recommended staking pattern. Use edge restraints at borders to prevent creep.
7. Fill with soil and plant. Fill the cells to the top surface with sandy loam or loam soil (sand is not acceptable), leaving a minimum of 1-1/2 inches for grass pavers and soil. Seed, sod, or hydroseed, and plant within 30 days of installing the pavers.
8. Establish before traffic. Keep vehicles off until the grass is sufficiently established to handle traffic.

The rigid Tufftrack pavers follow the same base logic — a compacted, free-draining aggregate base placed in lifts and compacted, then a lightly compacted planting base, with the 2 by 2 foot units laid and interlocked over the top and filled with soil and grass. Because Tufftrack is 1-1/2 inch thick and rigid, it suits the heavier or more frequent loads where you want extra stiffness underfoot.

NDS EZ Roll Gravel Pavers install much like the grass version, but the rolls go down fabric-side-down and the cells are filled with gravel instead of soil and grass. A typical sequence:

1. Prepare and compact the base. Excavate and place a free-draining aggregate base; base course thickness depends on the native soil and the anticipated wheel loads. Compact the base with one to three passes of a 5-ton steel wheel roller or equivalent.
2. Consult a geotechnical engineer for weak soils. For poor subgrades (CBR under 5 percent or R-value under 10), NDS recommends the engineer of record consult a geotechnical engineer about soil modification and compaction.
3. Roll out fabric-side-down. The pavers come with a thermally welded geotextile (Typar) fabric that prevents gravel from migrating downward and is porous for stormwater. Lay one roll first, then pull the edge of the adjacent roll snug against it and connect the lateral snap locks.
4. Leave clearance and stake. Leave a 1 inch minimum clearance between the pavers and fixed objects or structures, and stake per the recommended pattern (stakes are included).
5. Fill with gravel. Fill the cells with gravel to finish the surface; the cells confine the stone so it cannot rut or migrate.

Load and durability specs

For context on why the base matters, the EZ Roll pavers have an unfilled compressive strength of 57,890 psf and are rated to support H-20 and H-25 vehicle loads, with a life expectancy around 25 years when well maintained. Each paver weighs about 2.31 pounds and is made of HDPE with UV inhibitors. Those load ratings assume a properly prepared and compacted base, which is why the base-prep steps above are not optional.

Frequently Asked Questions